Students & Families

Scholarships

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About Montana Leadership Foundation Scholarships

The Montana Leadership Foundation offers scholarships through the Student Scholarship Organization Tax Credit Program. Parents can use these scholarships to send their child to a private school of their choice which provides the learning environment best suited to the child.

More details regarding the scholarship application process are coming soon!

Apply

The Scholarship Application period will be open annually.

Review

All information must be submitted in order for your application to be processed and then accepted.

Award

Scholarship awards are sent directly to the school and families receive an award email.

Writing school application

Applications

The right educational environment is so important for your student. Eligible students can receive a tuition scholarship by applying with the Montana Leadership Foundation. You can apply for a scholarship through the application portal. After your application has been reviewed, you will receive a status update via email. If your application is approved, the scholarship check will be sent to the qualified private school. Please note, there will be more information about the scholarship application process coming soon.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Corporate Low-Income Scholarships FAQs

The student is eligible if they meet the Income Requirement Academic Year 2024/25

Household SizeAnnual Family Gross Income Allowable
1$51,543
2$69,956
3$88,369
4$106,782
5$125,195
6$143,608
7$162,021
8$180,434

and one of the following:

  • Student attended an Montana public school as a full-time student for at least 90 days of the prior fiscal year or one full semester and then transferred from the public school to a private school; Those students who transfer to a qualified private school after the first full semester are eligible to receive a scholarship that same academic year; OR
  • Is enrolling in a private school kindergarten; OR
  • Is enrolling in a private preschool program for students with disabilities. Student must have an IEP or MET issued by an Montana public school; OR
  • Is a dependent of a member of the armed forces of the United States who is stationed in Montana pursuant to military orders; OR
  • Received a Low-Income corporate scholarship (under above criteria) or an original individual scholarship or a switcher individual scholarship in a prior year and the child continued to attend a private school in subsequent years; OR
  • Student was homeschooled in a prior school year and then directly enrolled in a qualified private school. The student is also eligible if the transition occurs within the same academic year, as long as the transition is from homeschooling directly to the qualified private school; OR
  • Student moved to Montana from out of state, or internationally, and enrolled directly in a qualified private school; OR
  • Student participated in the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program and did not renew the account or accept the scholarship, in order to accept an STO scholarship. Participated means the student received ESA funds from the ESA program.

The scholarship cap that Montana Leadership Foundation can award to a student for the 2024/25 school year are $6,300 Grades K-8 and and preschool students with disabilities and $8,100 Grades 9-12. The total scholarship award amount(s) for the 2024/25 school year cannot exceed the cost of the school tuition for that year.

Homeschool students are not eligible for STO scholarships. Students must be enrolled in private school full-time to receive an STO scholarship.

Please create an account on our online portal here. After you have created the account, you can create a scholarship application for each eligible student and the scholarship programs they are eligible for. If you need a printable application, please contact [email protected] for assistance.

The Montana Leadership Foundation reviews all applications for accuracy and makes an award decision based on the applicants financial needs and the funds available for distribution. Any personal information that is submitted is kept confidential within the committee. All scholarship decisions are the sole discretion of Arizona Leadership Foundation and all award decisions are final. We will notify you by email or regular mail as to your scholarship award.

Applications for school year 2023-24 are closed. The 2024-25 Application Period will be open April 15 through June 17, 2024. If you have additional questions please contact [email protected]

Contact us to confirm if the school you have selected is considered a qualified school. Qualified school means a preschool that offers services to students with disabilities, nongovernmental primary or secondary school that is located in Arizona and that does not discriminate based on race, color, disability, familial status or national origin. All teaching staff and personnel that have unsupervised contact with students are required to be fingerprinted. Qualified school does not include a charter school or any program operated by a charter school. This means that a private school program which operates in the same facilities as the charter school operates and a private school program that is administered by the same staff as employed by a charter school is not eligible for private school tuition organization scholarships.

The Montana Leadership Foundation tours schools and meets with the staff before reaching a conclusion on the qualification of a school.

Our scholarships are not first come, first serve. However, we strongly recommend applying early. If there are issues with your application and we are unable to process it this will give you time prior to our deadline to make corrections.

Montana Department of Revenue requires that students apply every school year for a low-income scholarship if they wish to qualify. Yes, you need to submit a new application every year.

Fully complete the application on the portal and indicate you are filing a tax extension. Upload your 2022 taxes (pages 1 & 2 of Federal 1040) and submit your application on the portal. If you qualify for a scholarship, this will ‘hold’ your spot until you have filed your taxes. You will then have until October 15 to submit your 2023 taxes to us for review. We will not award a scholarship until we have received and reviewed your 2023 taxes.

We at MLF have created some questions to ask when you are in the process of looking for a school.  Take a look at our school selection questionnaire for some suggestions.

No. Arizona statute (A.R.S. §15-2402(B)(3)) requires that when a parent has a signed contract with the ESA program, a student cannot accept ESA and STO funds (tax credit scholarships) for the same fiscal/contract year (July 1 – June 30).

The Montana Leadership Foundation does not award scholarships to students participating in hybrid programs. Online and modified/reduced hybrid schedules are also not eligible. Only students attending the traditional school program at an approved private school are eligible.

Disabled/Displaced Scholarships FAQs

  • Student has an IEP, MET or 504 plan from an Arizona public school; or
  • Student was placed at one time in the Arizona foster care system (to be verified by the Arizona Department of Economic Security)

The amount of the scholarship that is issued by the STO to Disabled/Displaced students from Disabled/Displaced corporate donations shall not exceed the lesser of the cost of tuition to attend the qualified school or 90% of the amount of state aid that would otherwise have been computed for the student in Title 15, Chapter 9, Article 15.

Please create an account on our online portal here. After you have created the account, you can create a scholarship application for each eligible student and the scholarship programs they are eligible for. If you need a printable application, please contact [email protected] for assistance.

The Montana Leadership Foundation reviews all applications for accuracy and makes an award decision based on the applicant’s financial/tuition needs and the funds available for distribution. Any personal information that is submitted is kept confidential within the committee. All scholarship decisions are the sole discretion of Montana Leadership Foundation and all award decisions are final. We will notify you by email as to your scholarship award.

Applications for school year 2023-24 are closed. The 2024-25 Application Period will be open April 15 through June 17, 2024. If you have additional questions please contact [email protected]

Yes, we need a new application and taxes every school year. After we have made the initial eligibility determination and awarded a D/D scholarship, IEP’s/MET’s/504 plans do not need to be resubmitted every year. However if there has been an updated document, you might wish to submit for updated scholarship eligibility amounts.

No. Montana statute (A.R.S. §15-2402(B)(3)) requires that when a parent has a signed contract with the ESA program, a student cannot accept ESA and STO funds (tax credit scholarships) for the same fiscal/contract year (July 1 – June 30).

The Montana Leadership Foundation does not award scholarships to students participating in hybrid programs. Online and modified/reduced hybrid schedules are also not eligible.

Only students attending the traditional school program at an approved private school are eligible.